East of England

1-2 October

Metropolis (Dir. Fritz Lang, 1927) (Screening format –DCP, 149 mins ) Made in Germany during the Weimar period, Metropolis is set in a futuristic urban dystopia and follows the attempts of Freder (Gustav Frohlich), the wealthy son of the city’s ruler, and Maria (Brigitte Helm), a poor worker, to overcome the vast gulf separating the classes of their city. Filming took place in 1925 at a cost of approximately five million Reichmarks, making it the most expensive film ever released up to that point. It is regarded as a pioneering work of science fiction and is among the most influential films of all time. Following its world premiere in 1927, half an hour was cut from Fritz Lang’s masterpiece and lost to the world. Eighty years later a spectacular discovery was made when the footage was found in a small, dusty museum in Buenos Aires. The film was then painstakingly reconstructed and digitally restored so that at last audiences could see the iconic futuristic fairy tale as Lang had envisioned it. Find out more atsilentfilm.org . With recorded soundtrack. Vue, CambridgeLink

4 October

London Symphony (Dir. Alex Barrett, UK, 2017) (Screening format – not known) London Symphony is a brand new silent film – a city symphony – which offers a poetic journey through London, a cosmopolitan city facing a challenge to its identity in the current political climate. It is an artistic portrait of the city as it stands today, and a celebration of its culture and diversity. Find out more atlondonsymphfilm.com . With recorded James McWilliam soundtrack. Wivenhoe Film Club, The Nottage, Wivenhoe EssexLink

6 October

London Symphony (Dir. Alex Barrett, UK, 2017) (Screening format – not known) London Symphony is a brand new silent film – a city symphony – which offers a poetic journey through London, a cosmopolitan city facing a challenge to its identity in the current political climate. It is an artistic portrait of the city as it stands today, and a celebration of its culture and diversity. Find out more atlondonsymphfilm.com . With recorded James McWilliam soundtrack. East Bergholt Cinema, East Bergholt, Suffolk.Link

20 October

In Search of Colour: Kinemacolor Shorts (Dir. Various, UK/Italy, 1907-14) (Screening format – not known, 80 mins) ‘Kinemacolor’, invented in 1906 by G. A. Smith of Brighton, was the cinema’s first successful colour system, flourishing commercially until 1917. Until recently, examples of the process were considered all but lost. But earlier this year – thanks to some exciting finds – a remarkable selection of newly restored shorts was unveiled at Cinema Ritrovato, Bologna’s renowned festival of archive film. This programme affords haunting glimpses of the past in exquisite, muted colour, including ravishing views of Lake Garda, children performing a drill at a Surrey Orphanage, and a spectacular parade of elephants from the Delhi Durbar of 1911. Presented as part of the Cambridge Film Festival. With live musical accompaniment. Emmanuel College – Queen’s Building, CambridgeLink

21 October

Casanova ( aka The Prince of Adventurers) (Dir. Alexandre Volkoff, Fr, 1927) (Screening format – DCP, 159mins) Ivan Mosjoukine stars as the world’s most notorious rake in this French super-production, with colour sequences beautifully restored by the Cinémathèque Française. What joyousness, what merrymaking, what lovemaking! We imagine Casanova perpetually kissing the hand of his latest innamorata, while half out the window and with a murderous husband leaping up the stairs. There have been some gorgeous Casanovas in recent years, but Ivan Mosjoukine was born to play this mischievous Harlequin with the melancholy heart. He was one of a group of Russian emigrés who fled to Paris in the 1920s – as was Alexandre Volkoff who, fresh from assisting on Abel Gance’s Napoléon, directed this sumptuous blockbuster, replete with stencil colour sequences bringing Venice’s 17th century carnivals to life. A thousand silk dresses (by Boris Bilinsky, designer of the famous Metropolis poster) dance in a rainbow of colours, while fireworks are reflected in the waters of the Grand Canal. Find out more atwikipedia.org. Presented as part of the Cambridge Film Festival. With live musical accompaniment. Arts Picturehouse, CambridgeLink

Comedy For Kids And Adults With Neil Brand Hal Roach ran a comedy studio in the 1920s that contained some of the funniest comics in silent cinema, and in this show we meet five of them: the great Charley Chase, the even greater Laurel and Hardy, plus two very funny women: Anita Garvin and Marion Byron. Created and presented by acclaimed musician, broadcaster and Family Festival favourite Neil Brand, this show for kids of all ages reveals Neil’s wide-ranging knowledge, abundant wit and flair for musical story-telling. Children will be encouraged to get involved with the music! Presented as part of the Cambridge Film Festival. With live piano accompaniment by Neil Brand. Arts Picturehouse, Cambridge. Link

22 October

Shiraz (Dir. Franz Osten, 1928) (Screening format – not known, 97mins) Newly restored by the BFI, Shiraz comes to Cambridge straight from its Archive Gala presentation at the BFI London Film Festival. The film is based on a play by Indian author Niranjan Pal and tells the fictionalised love story of the 17th-century princess who inspired the construction of the Taj Mahal. It was directed by Germany’s Franz Osten, one of at least 17 films he made in India between 1925 and 1939, best known of which are The Light of Asia (1925) and A Throw of Dice (1929). The film was photographed entirely on location in India and all the actors are Indian although the crew were mostly German. Upon its release Shiraz was a considerable critical and popular success. Find out more atsilentfilm.org. Presented as part of the Cambridge Film Festival. With live musical accompaniment. Emmanuel College – Queen’s Building, CambridgeLink

The Woman That Men Yearn For (aka Die Frau, nach der man sich sehnt, ) (Dir, Curtis Bernhard, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – not known, 78mins) The dreamy Charles Leblanc (Oskar Sima), about to marry into a wealthy steel-making family, glimpses Stascha (Marlene Dietrich) and her companion Karoff (Fritz Kortner) as they pause for a drink at a bar in his small southern France town. They meet again on the train taking him and his wife on their honeymoon. Overwhelmed by Stascha’s sexuality, and ignoring his distraught new wife, Leblanc agrees to help her escape from the domineering Karoff, setting in motion a chain of obsessive, destructive events. Long before von Sternberg brought us Dietrich as Lola Lola in The Blue Angel, the actress had already created her femme fatale persona with this, her first starring role. Although made on something of a shoestring budget and wholly studio shot, the film benefits from excellent direction from Bernhardt, Dietrich smoulders superbly and the rest of the cast are excellent. Unfortunately the film was released just as audiences were clamouring for sound films and as a result it was not particularly successful. But this is a welcome opportunity to see this rarely screened classic which marked an important milestone in Dietrich’s career development Find out more atsilentfilm.org. Presented as part of the Cambridge Film Festival. With live musical accompaniment. Emmanuel College – Queen’s Building, Cambridge Link

26 October

Dawson City – Frozen Time (Dir. Bill Morrison, US, 2016) (Screening format – DCP, 120mins) This stunning documentary pieces together the bizarre true story of a collection of some 500 films dating from 1910s – 1920s, which were lost for over 50 years until discovered buried in a sub-arctic swimming pool deep in the Yukon Territory, in Dawson City, located about 350 miles south of the Arctic Circle. Using these permafrost protected, rare silent films and newsreels, archival footage, interviews and historical photographs to tell the story, and accompanied by an enigmatic score by Sigur Rós collaborator and composer Alex Somers (Captain Fantastic), Dawson City: Frozen Time depicts a unique history of a Canadian gold rush town by chronicling the life cycle of a singular film collection through its exile, burial, rediscovery, and salvation – and through that collection, how a First Nation hunting camp was transformed and displaced. Find out more atpicturepalacepictures.com . Presented as part of the Cambridge Film Festival. Arts Picturehouse, CambridgeLink

Metropolis (Dir. Fritz Lang, 1927) (Screening format –not known , 149 mins ) Made in Germany during the Weimar period, Metropolis is set in a futuristic urban dystopia and follows the attempts of Freder (Gustav Frohlich), the wealthy son of the city’s ruler, and Maria (Brigitte Helm), a poor worker, to overcome the vast gulf separating the classes of their city. Filming took place in 1925 at a cost of approximately five million Reichmarks, making it the most expensive film ever released up to that point. It is regarded as a pioneering work of science fiction and is among the most influential films of all time. Following its world premiere in 1927, half an hour was cut from Fritz Lang’s masterpiece and lost to the world. Eighty years later a spectacular discovery was made when the footage was found in a small, dusty museum in Buenos Aires. The film was then painstakingly reconstructed and digitally restored so that at last audiences could see the iconic futuristic fairy tale as Lang had envisioned it. Find out more atsilentfilm.org . With recorded soundtrack. Cinema City, NorwichLink

30 October

Metropolis (Dir. Fritz Lang, 1927) (Screening format –not known , 149 mins ) Made in Germany during the Weimar period, Metropolis is set in a futuristic urban dystopia and follows the attempts of Freder (Gustav Frohlich), the wealthy son of the city’s ruler, and Maria (Brigitte Helm), a poor worker, to overcome the vast gulf separating the classes of their city. Filming took place in 1925 at a cost of approximately five million Reichmarks, making it the most expensive film ever released up to that point. It is regarded as a pioneering work of science fiction and is among the most influential films of all time. Following its world premiere in 1927, half an hour was cut from Fritz Lang’s masterpiece and lost to the world. Eighty years later a spectacular discovery was made when the footage was found in a small, dusty museum in Buenos Aires. The film was then painstakingly reconstructed and digitally restored so that at last audiences could see the iconic futuristic fairy tale as Lang had envisioned it. Find out more at silentfilm.org . With recorded soundtrack. South Holland Centre, SpaldingLink

NB. Whilst every effort has been taken to ensure that the information contained in these listings is accurate, silentfilmcalendar.org can take no responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies. You are strongly advised to confirm with the venue that the event remains as detailed, particularly if traveling any distance to attend.